Newsweek's Aimee Swartz isn't worried about autism. She, like most in the media, is out to convince us that autism has always been here, we just starting noticing it about 25 years ago. Her real goal here is threefold:

Treat autism as a curiosity we have all the time in the world to figure out.

Swartz presents a general definition that doesn't come close to what hundreds of thousands of victims live with. She doesn't say a word about regression autism, where healthy, normal kids suddenly lose everything and end up with multiple health issues. A third of children on the spectrum are reported to have experienced regression. A third. That should be a study in itself.

And in case you're wondering why there's so much autism, it's because we put a lot of disabled people under the label of ASD. Swartz cites sibling adults with autism, ages 26 and 21, but no one middle aged or elderly.

People with autism engage in repetitive or obsessive actions and interests, struggle to communicate and have difficulty relating to others and to the world around them. But the exact features of the disorder, as well as its severity, can vary significantly. That’s why autism, now diagnosed in one in every 68 children in the United States, is no longer considered one condition but rather a spectrum of related but distinct disorders.

Swartz is out to convince us that autism is a genetic condition. She describes a huge genome research project seeking clues to the cause.

In the short term, this will allow researchers to begin to identify genetically defined subtypes of autism. Grouping and comparing individuals with similar genetic changes could yield clues about a person’s future prognosis and the health complications, such as seizures, gastrointestinal problems and schizophrenia, that are associated with certain subtypes. In the longer term, says the study’s leader, Wendy Chung, director of Columbia University’s clinical genetics program, SPARK’s findings could lead to individualized treatment options, from medicines to behavioral interventions, that take into account the disorder’s genetics.

There is a vague, five sentence reference to the environment, while still emphasizing genetics.

Of course, genes alone aren’t to blame. The same family studies that demonstrate autism’s genetic basis also confirm that factors other than genetics, collectively referred to as “the environment,” play a role. “If genetics were the only factor that determined whether a child develops autism, two identical twins, who share the exact same DNA, would always either both have autism or both not have autism,” says Raphael Bernier, an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Washington in Seattle. He says autism is caused by a combination of genetics and a “vast array” of environmental factors—from a child’s exposure to certain toxins to overweight parents.

“Our best guess is that in many individuals, autism is caused by genes interacting with not only other genes but with an unknown number of potential environmental factors too,” says Bernier, whose clinic is participating in SPARK. But which environmental factors actually contribute to autism and by how much remain a hotly debated question SPARK hopes to answer.

Notice that no one wants to PREVENT autism.

Watch the video and learn about Columbia University's autism genetics program, called SPARK, from the director, Wendy Chung.

"We went to speed up research in our understanding of autism to help improve lives." Chung is interested in the "causes" of autism. She want to find ways to treat autism.

"We simply don't know enough about autism right now, but SPARK will change that." Chung is looking for test subject volunteers. SPARK will take saliva samples from participants to study their genes.

"You hold the power in shaping the future of autism research."

Actually the "future of autism research" is a dead-end. No one wants any significant findings. SPARK is more pretend science, or what I like to call "autism busywork"

My posted comment:

Wendy Chung needs to view a film that exposes a massive CDC cover-up of evidence linking the MMR vaccine to the development of autism.

The new movie, "Vaxxed--From Cover-Up to Catastrophe," http://vaxxedthemovie.com/ is showing in hundreds of cities across the U.S. It's about a senior scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. William Thompson, who revealed through a number of recorded phone conversations, that "senior people [at CDC] just do completely unethical, vile things and no one holds them accountable.”

Thompson described the standard practice at the CDC of designing vaccine safety studies that cover up any signs of vaccine side effects, especially any connection to autism.

Comments

You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.

Wow, who knew "Newsweek" still existed? It thought they had already folded....hopefully they will soon with that kind of BS 'journalism' - and they wonder why so few people buy magazines or newspapers anymore. I dropped all my magazine subscriptions and my 2 newspapers as well. I no longer respect "TIME" or any of these other supposed 'news' magazines. Nothing but advertiser directed stories. People are waking up to the truth about all of media and how it is all controlled by advertisers. Hopefully, all these magazines will fold, just like so many newspapers have. I used to have such respect for journalists, but I really don't think there are any left now except for Sharyl Attkisson.https://sharylattkisson.com

Maybe, we should just announce how much mercury (thimerasol) a child receive in one day of vaccines at a one year old. My grandson, in 1999, received 5 shots at his well check at 1 year old, four with mercury. Add, it up and know it is a neuro-toxin like lead, but injected into a 20-25 pound baby. He played with toys and was normal before. Crawled over his toys and did not answer to his name or language after mercury laden vaccines.
l

Here is Chung stating with great certainty that vaccines are not to blame here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKlMcLTqRLs 2:50 is when the ridiculousness starts.
" And a common misconception is that vaccines cause autism. Let me be very clear, VACCINES DO NOT CAUSE AUTISM"
Crowd proceeds to applaud the neurological destruction of children like some pagan ritual. Then of course no explanation or proof to back her statement.

Anne, Thanks again for keeping on top of propaganda in the news. I also just posted a comment on the Newsweek website, pointing out the clear medical error of clamping the umbilical cord immediately after birth.

Differences in the severity of autism (subtypes) are the result of degrees of neurological injury. Genetics? Males are genetically distinct from females, and males are 4 to 5 times more likely to develop autism.

Aerobic metabolism is higher in males than females. That is why there are separate events in sports for males and females. The male-female difference in aerobic metabolism should be the first focus of genetic research. Males will suffer brain damage sooner and to a greater extent from asphyxia, before breathing is established after the cord is clamped at birth.

Most of us never (until recently) questioned the safety of obstetric procedures. Vaccination is the most visible precursor to autism. How the brain is affected is what is important. I will continue to point out that vaccination (especially hep-B at birth) is likely to compound injury of brain circuits damaged by a brief lapse in respiration at birth.

Thanks, Bob Moffit, you said it better than I could. One phrase for this type of media PROPAGANDA is "appeal to experts". Note how Schwartz cites and quotes a *psychiatrist*, and claims that "some sub-types" of autism can cause so-called schizophrenia. This would almost be funny, if.... Even Scientific American is doing this stuff. Their online edition has an article prattling on about so-called "bi-polar", and "schizophrenia". Dr. Jim van Os, at the Univ. of Maastricht in the Netherlands, is leading a European-based effort to eliminate the word and diagnosis of "schizophrenia" as being unsound, unscientific, and unworkable. I only started reading here at AoA recently, coming from >madinamerica.com<. The same pseudoscience DRUG RACKET which runs the LIES of "biopsychiatry" is also COMPLICIT in spreading the lies about autism. Boy, that "autism spectrum" sure is colorful!
Thank-you!

Unfortunately .. Aimee Swartz pretends to be representing a "fair and balanced" main-stream media .. but ... instead .. Ms. Swartz actually represents what the "free press" in the United States has become .. that being .. "advocacy journalism" .. where the "powers that be" decide which side of any controversial issue they AGREE with .. then send forth "sock-puppets" like Aimee Swartz .. to make certain whatever position they are "advocating for" .. such as ... dire warnings with SATELLITE EVIDENCE to prove that Saddam had wmd as a reason to invade Iraq .. or .. today's billions for Zika virus vaccine research ..

Hard to compete with well-entrenched "advocacy journalism" .. on a whole host of issues that DEMAND open and public debate .. that pervades our mass media in the US.